clinton



0. W. CLINTON.

COUNTER GATE FOR BANKS, &c.

' (No Model.)

Patented Dec. 27

NOQ 375,532.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W. CLINTON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

COUNTER-GATE FOR BAN KS, 8w.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 375,532, dated December 27, 1887.

I Application filed June 29, 1887. Serial No. 242,899. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.- I

Be it known that 1, CHARLES W. CLINTON,

of the city of New York, in the county and state of New, York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Counter-Gates for Banks, 850., of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to gates for the railings or partitions placed upon the counters or desks inbanks, counting-rooms, and similar places. My object is to so construct and arrange such gates that they may be readily and conven-. iently opened to permit communication, between the clerk behind the railing and persons outside without occupying additional space or requiring the removal of books and other articles which may be upon the desk or counter. Heretofore such gates have been arranged to be swung open laterally or to slide either laterally or up and down. Both these arrangements areinconvenient, the former because in opening the gateit has to swing across the counter and everything thereon has to be removed to permit its passage, and the latter because of the room occupied and because the railing has to be extended to an unnecessary height.

In my invention I pivot the gate so that it swings vertically, and I place the hinges or pivots on which it swings at or near the top of the gate, so that when it is opened it is up entirely out of the way.

I provide the gate with a weighted portion above the pivots,which I prefer to have in the form of heavy ornamental balls placed at the ends of upwardly-extending arms. I make these-balls heavy enough to slightly overbalance' the weight of the main part of the gate; and I prefer also to set such weights somewhat behind the vertical line of the gate. They thus tend to hold the gate shut; but in opening the gate they assist the operation as soon as they pass the pivots. I provide a-stop or stops in the pivots or hinges for stopping the gate at the horizontal position,so that the overbalancing-weights cannot swing it past that position.

I prefer to provide a hinged lower section for the verticallyswinging gate,wl1ich may be raised to make a small opening through which checks or papers maybe passed, while the whole gate is swung up for the passage of large books or other bulky articles.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a gate embodying said invention, and Fig. 2 a side view thereof, and Fig. 3 an end view of one of the pivots or hinges.

' A is the counter or desk.

B B are stationary posts forming part of the railing which extends along said counter.

G is the vertically-swinging gate pivoted be tween the posts B B at a a-that is, at the top of the gate. I have shown the gate as composed of open metal bars or rods. It may be made solid and ofmetal or glass or other material.

Above the gate extend two arms,]; I), which may be continuations of the side bars of the gate, which terminate in heavy metal balls 0 c, which are of such weight as to slightly overbalance the weight of the gate itself. They may be joined by a cross-bar, d. The arms I) b are so formed as to bring the balls 0 c behind the line of the gate.

The closed gate is as shown in both figures. To open it it is swung into the position shown by the dotted lines of Fig. 2. The gate being pivoted at its top and provided with the counterbalancing-weights, it is brought,when open, up to the top of the railing, and is out of the way of persons who wish to communicate through the opening, whereas if it were pivoted in the middle its top and bottom would project on both sides at such a height as would bring it just where such persons would stand. The weights being set out ofline with the gate hold it in its closed position, so that if it is accidentally pushed partly open they will bring it back again; butin swinging thegate up after the slightly-'overbalancing weights pass the pivots they assist in opening the gate. The pivots at a a are provided with stops to keep the gate from moving past its horizontal position. This is illustrated in Fig. 3. The posts B B are entered by the spindles a a of the gate. In each post is provided a socket, h, and the spindle has a pin or projection, z, turning in each socket. Thus, when the gate is swung up to a horizontal position, the pins 1 reach the upper ends of the sockets h,and the gateis stopped at that point instead of being carried over by the overbalancing-weights or by any accidental movement. The overbalancing-weightskeep the gate from swinging back again until it is intentionally moved back. The gate will also IOC be stopped at its closed position by the pins reaching the lower ends of the sockets.

The gatehasa separately-hinged section, D, at its lower part, which comes close to the counter and is hinged to the main portion of the gate at dd. If only a small opening is re quired, the person behind the counter raises the part D, as shown in Fig. 2. A catch ofany suitable character is provided for holding it. That shown consists of two curved flat springs, e,which clasp one of the rods of the gate.

A bolt, f, or other catch or locking device is provided for looking the whole gate to the counter, and also a bolt or other locking device, g, for locking the main part of the gate when the lower section is open.

Vhat I claim is- 1. A vertieally-swinging gate pivoted at its upper part and having overbalaneing-wcights above the pivots and a stop for arresting the motion of the gate at a horizontal position, substantially as set forth.

2. A vertically-swinging gate pivoted atits upper part and having weights above the pivots situated behind the vertical line of the gate, substantially as set forth.

3. A vertically-swinging gate pivoted at its upper part and having overbalancing-Weights above the pivots situated behind the vertical line of the gate and a stop for arresting the motion of the gate at a horizontal position, substautial1y as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 28th day of June. 1887.

CHARLES XV. CLINTON.

Vitnesses:

XVILLLUI PELZER, E. O. ROWLAND. 

